The Indiana Fever continued their winning streak at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, and yet the game went on to headlines for a reason far from the hardwood. The main discussion centered on Caitlin Clark’s absence during the game.

The Fever management cited a back injury concern, but it still didn’t clear the air on the controversies. Now, an eyewitness has come forward to clear up this uncertainty with an overheard conversation between a Fever trainer and Clark’s mom.

“When I actually sat down, I actually had Caitlin Clark’s mum sit directly next to me,” the Australian fan who witnessed the conversation in the arena said. “Her whole family was there. It was a whole bunch of other people, relatives, it looked like. But they definitely came to watch her play, and the expectation, I’m sure, was that she was playing.”

“The trainer came to CC’s mum. Her mum said, “How’s she going?” Obviously, they tried to speak discreetly next to me, but it was something along the lines of she pulled up, and we tried to see if she was alright, but we just made the decision to sit her out.”

Just after Clark was revealed to be absent from Fever’s rotation, many remarked that the Fever management already knew that the former was going to be missing from the game. They went so far as to say it was part of Indiana Fever’s workload management scheme for CC.

Now, this assessment isn’t surprising. Since preseason, head coach Stephanie White hasn’t deviated from her stance of managing Clark’s workload as much as possible, especially after her injury-laden last season. Initially, the Fever head coach deployed the Fever guard in an off-the-ball role. On top of that, she also advised CC not to get indulged in every rep of the training session.

It’s not a surprise the rumors popped up. Head coach Stephanie White stated in the press conference that Clark pulled up with back stiffness. “She’s healthy,” the coach said. “We’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.” The Fever guard also experienced back stiffness in the season opener against the Dallas Wings, forcing her to leave the game multiple times.

Thus, the assessment seems fit on paper, but basketball analysts like Robin Lundberg still aren’t buying into Stephanie White’s explanation. “This statement from Stephanie White is contradictory,” Lundberg said. “If there is no injury, then they are managing it.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg in the long array of carefully constructed narratives. Some of the social media pages also leaned toward Clark’s incident with Fever head coach Briann January in the last game against the Seattle Storm. The Fever guard visibly got into a heated argument with January mid-game on the sidelines.

Fans online didn’t hesitate to connect the dots between that incident and Clark’s subsequent absence from the next game. But amid all of it, the Australian fans’ revelation about the conversation between the Fever trainer and Clark’s mother just puts all these rumors and assessments to rest. If all of her entire family were there on the sidelines, they wouldn’t know of the Fever guard’s injury as well.

Furthermore, the eyewitness also shared her perspective that Clark won’t sit on the bench without a definitive injury to her. It’s backed to the hilt as well. We’ve seen Clark navigate through tough stretches, even last season when she sustained an ankle bruise and a groin injury.

“Caitlin Clark is a competitor. This girl is not sitting out for anybody or for any reason other than she’s injured, or she’s being very precautionary to not re-injure herself,” she said. “She said recently, being on the bench, yes, she wants to be one of the best teammates, but God knows she does not want to be benched.”

“She loves the ball, and she loves it more than anybody. And I don’t think these conspiracy theories around her, like being punished or suspended, all these rubbish claims are absolutely garbage,” the fan added further.

All in all, it clears up a lot of the uncomfortable noise around the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. But the Indiana Fever’s way of handling Clark’s injury during the game is questionable.

Indiana Fever Might Be Looking at a League Review After Mishandling Caitlin Clark’s Injury

Caitlin Clark’s injury fiasco isn’t just restricted to rumors. Because it disrupts a subtle league rule that might raise questions going forward, it’s important to note that Clark’s name was not originally on the injury list for the game. But on the contrary, head coach Stephanie White had also stated that Clark didn’t practice the day before the game.

It remarks that there was already a question mark on CC’s fitness. But it was revealed just 100 minutes before the game. On paper, it violates the league’s injury reporting policies. According to the rules, every franchise must report injuries by 5 p.m. local time the day before the game. Of course, the Fever failed to do so and can thus be scrutinized.

Outkick’s Jon Root shed light in this regard via a post on X. “The Indiana Fever announcing Caitlin Clark is out an hour & a half before game time is unacceptable,” he wrote. “Worst part: This is all part of a ‘strategic management plan for the season,’ so they knew she wouldn’t play. It’s a slap in the face to fans that bought tickets & a clear violation of the WNBA’s injury reporting.”

Per the rules, the league may review the entire situation and impose a hefty fine. Now, it needs to be seen whether the WNBA implements those rules in Clark’s case.

But for now, the Indiana Fever move ahead in the standings with a win over the Portland Fire. In Clark’s absence, Aliyah Boston led the Fever in points. Coming off a leg injury herself, Boston recorded 24 points in the game. Kelsey Mitchell scored 21, and Lexie Hull chimed in with 16 in the 90-78 win.

They are next up to host the Golden State Valkyries at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 22, where the team will also look to Clark back in their lineup.